Free Republic

It was Charles Dickens who once wrote “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” It’s almost as though Mr. Dickens had privy to a time machine and was in attendance to witness the same pain and agony that Texan’s fans saw first hand on Sunday after noon at Reliant Stadium.

Guest speaker Dr. Clifford L. Fry will speak at the Town Hall on Health Care sponsored by the Harris County (Houston, TX) Conservative Congressional Campaign. Dr. Fry is the Executive Vice President of RRC, Inc. an economic policy consulting group in College Station, Texas. A native Texan, Dr. Fry received his Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A&M University in 1972. He is a former Chairman of the Department of Finance at the University of Houston. He has also published a variety of research papers in leading finance and economics journals. In addition to his position at RRC, Dr. Fry has...

Texas' gay marriage ban may have banned all marriages AUSTIN — Texans: Are you really married? Maybe not. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state. The amendment, approved by the Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by voters, declares that "marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman." But the troublemaking phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares: "This state...

Police say the man came into the D and A game room on Westheimer at noon Monday, pulled a gun and demanded money from the manager. As the man was leaving, the manager pulled out a gun and shot him. He later died at a hospital. No one else was hurt. Police tell us the manager will not face any charges.

A cluster of socially conservative Houstonians is planning a campaign to discourage voters from choosing City Controller Annise Parker in the December mayoral runoff because she is a lesbian, according to multiple ministers and conservatives involved in the effort. The group is motivated by concerns about a “gay takeover” of City Hall, given that two other candidates in the five remaining City Council races are also openly gay, as well as national interest driven by the possibility that Houston could become the first major U.S. city to elect an openly gay woman

More than 10,000 people turned out Monday night for a North Houston Tea Party Patriots gathering to protest proposed health care reform and big government spending. Crowds packed the field at the Sam Houston Race Park and cheered loudly as speakers called for the people to take control of the American government. Wearing slogans that said “Don’t Tread on Me” and T-shirts stating, “I am a Tea Party Patriot — I will defend our Constitution,” those attending the event enthusiastically showed support for more constraints on the government and more personal freedom. ... Houston Tea Party Rally: 10,000 Attendance

City Controller Annise Parker is expected to face former City Attorney Gene Locke in a runoff to be the next mayor of Houston. Political pundits had long predicted that Parker, with her strong base of inside-the-loop support, was all but a shoo-in for the runoff. Parker herself had felt just as confident, and with more than 90 percent of the precincts reporting, her confidence appeared justified.

More than 10,000 people turned out Monday night for a North Houston Tea Party Patriots gathering to protest proposed health care reform and what they called big government spending and overzealous government leadership, according to preliminary attendance figures. Under clear skies and a perfect moon, crowds packed the field at the Sam Houston Race Park and cheered loudly as speakers called for the people to take control of the American government. Wearing slogans that said “Don't Tread on Me” and T-shirts stating, “I am a Tea Party Patriot — I will defend our Constitution,” those attending the event enthusiastically...

Weere there any other Freepers at the teaparty last night in Houston. They estimated that there were over 15,000 people in attendance and the crowd was electric. Joe Paggs was MC and there were a bunch of fine speakers. The hilite of the night was Lord Monckton speaking but Apostle Claver Raging Elephants was AMAZING as usual. It was a great night and I can hardly talk now because of all of the yelling and cheering. Here is the official website for the North Houston Teaparty. http://www.thewoodlandsteaparty.com/

HOUSTON -- The Houston Police Department launched a new creative campaign to crack down on dangerous and aggressive drivers, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday. The plan calls for putting plainclothes officers in different locations around the city to spot drivers who are speeding, not wearing seat belts, or changing lanes erratically. In one tactic, senior Houston Police Officer William Dodson will dress in street clothes and stand at a street corner with a sign in his hand. Some people could mistake him for a vagrant, but on closer inspection, they will see that the sign is reminding people to wear...

Democrats have held the Houston City Mayor's office and most of the City Council seats for a long time. However, in next Tuesday's election, Roy Morales, a Republican, is running against several well-funded democrats. I expect the democrats to split the liberal vote. Morales can win if all the conservatives get off their duff and VOTE. Turnout will be very light in this off-year election which means that conservative votes will be more important than ever. See Gary Polland's excellent website which rates the candidates based on their conservative value scores: http://www.texasconservativereview.com/

<p>Prominent Houston attorney John O'Quinn was one of two men who died this morning when their SUV slammed into a large tree on Allen Parkway after the driver apparently lost control, police said.</p> <p>"I'm stunned. The community lost one of its biggest assets," said Rick Laminack, who worked with O'Quinn from 1987 until 2006. "He was a great lawyer who shared a lot of his wealth with people who needed help."</p>

The woman who successfully sued to have a Bible removed from a Harris County courthouse display is now suing to stop city council from opening meetings with prayers that she believes are too Christian. Kay Staley, a real estate agent and lawyer, argues religion and prayer are private matters that don't belong in government. She sued the city and Councilmember Anne Clutterbuck, saying the council's prayers are so overly Christian they violate the First Amendment separation of church and state. Clutterbuck was singled out for saying the Lord's Prayer. ...(Staley) argues the prayers are coercive to others who won't speak...

Note: The following text is a quote: Three Convicted in International Truck Theft Conspiracy Sentenced to Prison HOUSTON—Three men who conspired to steal and transport millions of dollars of truck tractors, trailers and other heavy equipment to Central America have been sentenced to prison, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. Rito Jasso-Zorilla, 32, Victor Antonio Garcia, 27, and Orlando Gonzalez Huerta, 29, all citizens of Mexico, were sentenced by United States District Judge David Hittner this morning for their respective roles in assisting Yuri David Melendez, 42, of Houston, with the far-reaching scheme. Beginning in 2001, Melendez received requests...

A Houston city councilman running for city controller owes more than $100,000 in federal income taxes dating back seven years, public records show. Ronald C. Green, a lawyer who has served in the city’s At-Large Position 4 since 2004, owed $120,043.11 to the federal government earlier this year, according to federal tax liens filed with the Harris County clerk’s office this past summer. The delinquent taxes go back as far as 2002.

If you watched the debates or look at the candidate’s websites, you will never see the dreaded “D” word spoken nor spelled out. You know why, and so do these wily candidates. The “D” word conjures up images of Pelosi, Reid and billions of dollars flying out of your collective pockets and into the hands of millionaire bankers and insurance executives. Some will tell you that no one mentions the “D” word because the Houston Mayoral Race is a non-partisan race. Really? You sure you want to go with that one? According to the letter of the law, the race...

A Houston man found asleep with a corpse inside a closet of a vacant home has been charged with misdemeanor drug offenses, authorities said Monday. Cody Jean Plant, 21, was discovered Sunday after the owner of the house reported hearing voices and seeing signs of forced entry at the home in Cypress, about 25 miles northwest of Houston, according to a Harris County Precinct 4 Constable official. Authorities did not immediately release the dead man's identity. "There were two guys in the closet. They appeared to be sleeping, one was snoring and the other was deceased," said Assistant Chief Deputy...

I need help! Here I am in Houston, Texas, one of the bastions of conservatism, and I cannot find Republicans who will volunteer as Election Judges and precinct workers. I understand that everybody has a job, business, or family obligations, but we are only talking about two nights of training and one day for the election. Taking a day off from my business will COST me $500, but this is a chance to make a difference. This is YOUR chance to serve your country by running a clean election. As an Election Judge, Alternate, or Clerk, you can put a...

Landscape business owner Robert Lane Camp pleaded guilty this morning to harboring an illegal immigrant who murdered a Houston police officer. “It was very difficult to just see his face,” said Houston police Sgt. Joslyn Johnson, the widow of Officer Rodney Johnson. “I felt somewhat vindicated and somewhat disappointed as well.” Camp, 48, pleaded guilty to employing and harboring Leonardo Quintero, the Mexican national convicted of shooting Johnson four times in the head after a traffic stop in 2006. Quintero is now serving a life sentence for Johnson’s killing. Camp faces up to five years in federal prison and a...

Reuters newswire service recently published a story reporting that accused swindler Allen Stanford has been moved to a federal lockup facility in downtown Houston in order "to be closer to his attorneys." In fact in a fairly long story as wire copy goes, Reuters reports all sorts of details of Stanford's alleged financial crimes and current status. There is only one little detail that Reuters seems to have forgotten to report. Allen Stanford was a major fundraiser and lobbyists for some of the biggest Democrats in the country. There isn't a single mention, for instance, that Stanford lobbied Congress for...

Major League Baseball (MLB), the Houston Astros, and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) broke ground yesterday on the Houston Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy at Sylvester Turner Park in a special ceremony. MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Jimmie Lee Solomon, Houston Astros President of Business Operations Pam Gardner and current and former Astros players were on-hand with State Representative Sylvester Turner, Houston Parks and Recreation Department Director Joe Turner and other local dignitaries to inaugurate the future site of the second MLB Urban Youth Academy, which will provide year-round free baseball and softball instruction to local...

HOUSTON - Michael Garza's parents say they weren't sure who to believe, their 8-year-old son or his reading teacher Savonya Depland Haston. -snip- After Michael calls the reading teacher "ma'am," Haston is heard on the tape replying "I'm not your ma'am. If I owned you, and you were my slave, I would beat you down." -snip On the tape, you hear her tell the class of 7 and 8-year-olds she could have charges filed against them and their parents for lying and violating her civil rights. "When you lie on me, I have the right to an attorney, I have...

North Forest High School on Lockdown ALEXANDER SUPGUL HOUSTON - Police say that a northeast Houston high school is on lockdown after at least four reports of random assault rifle shootings into the air in nearby neighborhoods. FOX 26 News has learned that North Forest Independent School District police and the Houston Police Department are at North Forest High School and may be searching for a suspect in the shootings. Police believe that at least one suspect fired an AK-47 into the air at the intersection of Ribbonwood Street and Everglade Drive, two other locations on Ribbonwood Street and one...

HOUSTON — DEVELOPING: A Houston high school was on lockdown Friday after reports of assault rifle shootings in the neighborhood, according to local media. [Snip] Police believe that at least one suspect fired an AK-47 at a number of different locations, MyFOXHouston said.

Calling Texas Freepers! My husband and I lived in the Wichita Falls area several years ago (he was stationed at Sheppard AFB) and we absolutely fell in love with Texas. Since then, he has gotten out of the Army, had a great job, and gotten laid off. Now, 6 months and a whole lot of job searching later, he has 2 job opportunities in Texas. One in Dallas, the other in Houston. Both are excellent job opportunities with very similar salary packages. I have never been to Houston, and only into Dallas for the airport and Nascar track so really...

oft and uninspired, were a couple of the terms used to describe the play of the Texans after the loss to the Jets last week during the season opener. Some fans were even calling for a coaching change after the debacle, hoping the Texans brass would keep the telephone numbers of Bill Cower and Tony Dungy on speed dial. Things can really change fast in one week. Despite being down by 14 points in the second quarter and unable to establish any sort of running game, the Houston Texans earned perhaps its most monumental win in team history with a...

Mayor orders probe after group comes under fire The brewing national controversy over questionable practices by the community activist group ACORN is spilling into the organization's Houston operations, with calls for reviews of its past government contracts and prohibition of any future taxpayer funding. “It's unfortunate there have been problems with ACORN thousands of miles away from Houston,” said Ginny Goldman, who heads Texas ACORN and is based in Houston. “But I would be shocked to find anything irregular happening here. I stand 100 percent behind my staff. I know how they are trained.” Houston Mayor Bill White expressed concern...

Protesters organize outside democratic fundraiser in Austin9/19/2009 5:53 PM By: News 8 Austin Staff House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended a democratic fundraiser in Central Austin Saturday. Her visit was met with a small group of grass roots protesters, who said while they are glad she is visiting the Texas Capitol, they are not happy with her policies. They said Pelosi has lead unprecedented excesses of the federal government, and has shown a lack of respect to the American people. "We think that all politicians need to be more responsive to the people and we're asking both republicans and democrats to...

VIDEO At Link HERE .A Houston man was handcuffed and assaulted by cops for posting anti-Obama flyers around his town, actions described as “criminal vandalism” by police and some local residents, despite the fact that giant pro-Obama murals are openly displayed in the same neighborhood for all to see. 21-year-old Mark Fuhre, an Alex Jones Show listener, decided to post the flyers even though the Infowars Obama Joker Poster Contest had ended, because he wanted to alert his neighbors to the cult of personality being manufactured around Obama and how the establishment is stifling any criticism of the President by...

"They slammed me against the hood of my car, cuffed me, threw me in the back of the car. I'm in my own driveway at this point and time."

Houston Police said they were preparing murder charges against a man suspected in a serial killing spree that kept Acres Homes on edge for years, KPRC Local 2 reported Monday. A recent attack led police to arrest LaMarques Devon McWilliams, 34, on Aug. 26. He was charged with two counts of rape after an 18-year-old woman told police she was raped in a car. Officers captured him near the site of the latest attack, and HPD Homicide Squad investigators on Monday said the crimes were similar to some of the killings. Both women survived the most recent attacks, but once...

Authorities are searching for a man they say robbed two banks in less than a hour while wearing a silver sweat-inducing jogging suit and toting a pistol. The first robbery occurred about 11:30 a.m. last Friday at a Wachovia branch at 5650 Memorial Drive, according to the FBI. The second heist occurred about 45 minutes later and 25 miles away at a Bank of America branch at 1550 West Bay Area Boulevard, officials said. Because of his distinctive get-up, which included sunglasses, the FBI has labeled him the “Sweatin' to the Oldies” robber. In the Wachovia robbery, he threw large...

More girls under 15 give birth in Houston than any other U.S. city, according to a new national report, and many of the city's teen moms have additional children before they turn 20. The report by the research organization Child Trends found that there were 20 percent more babies born to girls 14 or younger in Houston than in New York and Los Angeles in 2006 and that 24 percent of all Houston's teen births were repeat births that year, the latest for which data is available.

Sex Trade Ring Busted in Houston, Ex-Police Officer and 5 Others Charged August 26, 2009 HOUSTON — A sex trade ring in which young girls were allegedly pistol-whipped and forced from their homes into sexual slavery was broken up in Houston this week and several suspects are in custody. Five people, including a former Houston police officer, were arrested in the largest sex trafficking case in Texas' southern district, MyFOXHouston.com reported. A sixth remains on the run. John Butler, 47, William Hornbeak, 34, Jamine Lake, 27, Andre McDaniels, 39, and Kristen Land, 28, all of Houston, as well as Tulsa,...

I’ m sure you’ve seen the videos of Tea Party groups throughout the Country taking the liberal Congress members to task? Close to us, two Congressmen support actively the Reform Bill HR 3200: Gene Green and Sheila Jackson. They need to hear from us! They need to understand that the citizens of this country do not want socialized Medicine and rationned Healthcare. Sheila Jackson finally scheduled 2 Townhalls; Gene Green has several more coming. We have a first list of Towwnhalls with Kevin Brady. We will also post here the other Townhalls of the Congressmen of our area who oppose...

Here is video of a confrontation between LaRaza members and anti-ObamaCare protesters outside Democrat Rep. Gene Green's Town Hall Meeting in the Houston, Texas area on August 18, 2009. The video shows some of the Town Hall Meeting inside in the first couple of minutes, but then moves outside where a young LaRaza member wrapped in what appears to be a Mexican flag begins swearing at anti-ObamaCare protesters. It eventually escalates to where he begins pushing and shoving at them and is arrested by the police and carried away. The video ends showing other LaRaza activists shouting at the protesters...

A member of the group La Raza argues with and attacks one of the attendees of Gene Green’s -Congressman (D)- Towhnall meeting on Tuesday, August 18. He became violent and Houston Police took him to jail. The LaRaza members continued to confront them over the course of the night… The night ended with a Mariachi band. They admit they’re “taking over America” and that they want to “kick us out". Amazing.

Three Hurricane Katrina evacuees who bought houses here with the help of Oprah Winfrey appeared in court today on charges they cheated the Federal Emergency Management Agency by lying to continue to obtain rental assistance for storm victims after they moved into the furnished homes.

I was reading the Chron’s piece about Sheila Jackson Lee’s town hall, when something caught my eye: One supporter, Dr. Roxana Mayer, a physician who does not live in Jackson Lee’s district, praised the reform plan for overhauling a broken system. “I don’t know what there is in the bill that creates such panic,” she said. In this video, Mayer claims to be a general practitioner, eliciting applause and even a hug from Queen Sheila: I’m not sure why, but something didn’t smell right. So my colleagues and I did a little digging, and wouldn’t you know it? Roxana Mayer...

http://www.thebigfeedblog.com/2009/08/bustedagain-democrats-caught-planting.html http://46in08.blogspot.com/2009/08/democrats-have-fake-doctors-at.html Not only was Mayer not a doctor, Roxana Mayer was an Obama delegate, as Patterico discovered with some digging. What’s more, the Houston Chronicle apparently knew this and failed to include it in its glowing coverage of Mayer’s appearance. The reporter, Cindy Horswell, has admitted that she knew Mayer was an Obama delegate and that Mayer didn’t live in Jackson-Lee’s district when she wrote the Chronicle story. After getting exposed, the Chronicle quietly changed the caption on the photo without issuing a correction, removing the reference to Mayer being a doctor.

Here is video of CNN's Rick Sanchez getting into a heated back and forth exchange with Democrat Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee over the fact she talked on her cell phone at a Town Hall Meeting while a woman was trying to ask her a question. NOTE: Video of Lee using Cell Phone at Town Hall included Sanchez asked her "What were you thinking?" Lee started rambling about everything except what he asked her about! Sanchez then interrupted Lee and said, Congresswoman, you are not answering my question." Lee actually said the video of her talking on the cell phone "may...

Shelia Jackson Lee answers her cell phone while a person in the audience is addressing her at a town hall meeting in Houston, TX.

Tuning in to President Obama's health care town hall today, you couldn't help but notice how much tamer the line of questioning was compared to what Obama's fellow Democrats have been up against. By and large, instead of the persistent tough queries that greeted the likes of Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (D-Penn.), the president fielded much easier questions. The toughest questioner tried to tag him on his earlier comments approving of a government-run "single-payer" system but unfortunately couldn't get the point of distinction between it and the much more amorphous "universal" health care system, thus allowing Obama to...

Suspects named in '92 killing of Quanell X's brother, 3 othersBy DALE LEZON Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle Aug. 11, 2009, 1:09PM Houston police say they have solved the 1992 slaying of black community activist Quanell X's brother and three others in a reputed south Houston crack house, and the three suspects already are in prison on unrelated matters. Police have filed capital murder charges against Jeremiah Dewayne Arnold, 38; Rasheed Abdul Aziz, 34; and Dewayne Eythell, 34. They are accused in the July 17, 1992, slayings of Quanell X's brother Quinntin M. Evans, 20; and Robert Keith Arceneaux, 21; Jonathan...

HOUSTON—Kobie Diallo Willaims, 36, convicted of conspiring to unlawfully possess firearms by an alien and supporting the Taliban, has been sentenced to prison, United States Attorney Tim Johnson, FBI Houston Division Special Agent in Charge Richard C. Powers and David Kris, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's National Security Division, announced today. At a hearing today before U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr., Williams, a U.S. citizen and resident of Houston, was sentenced to 54 months imprisonment without parole and fined $5,000. Williams pleaded guilty in November 2006 to conspiring with several foreign nationals, some of whom had entered...

A homeowner shot and killed a suspected burglar who came at him with a tire iron Tuesday after breaking into a storage shed on the man’s property in east Harris County, officals said. Although the shooting will be referred to a Harris County grand jury, investigators said it appears to be self-defense.

Four major cities _ New York, Seattle, Houston, and Pittsburgh _ will get no money from a $1 billion economic stimulus program to help cities avoid laying off police officers, officials told The Associated Press on Monday. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details publicly, said about 7,000 state and local agencies applied for aid under the COPS program that is part of the $787 billion stimulus package passed earlier this year. Only about 1,000 were approved. Justice Department spokeswoman Hannah August declined to comment in advance of the official announcement....

A Houston police officer shot and killed a suspected burglar who attacked him and his police dog with a screwdriver, authorities said. The officer, identified by HPD as G. Smith, was responding to a burglary call at an apartment in the 7100 block of Renwick about 4:20 p.m. Smith has been with the department 11 years and is assigned to the canine unit, according to HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva. Residents in the apartment reported the burglary and when a patrol officer arrived the burglar was still inside, officials said. Smith called for a supervisor and a canine unit. The burglar...

A 74-year-old man shot and wounded a teenager who attempted to carjack him with a knife early this morning in southwest Houston, police said. The 18-year-old male suspect was wounded in the abdomen and was caught by police after he tried to run away following the shooting. He was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital in fair condition. No other injuries were reported. Police have not released the suspect's name because no charges have been filed against him, but investigators said that he will mostly likely be charged with aggravated robbery. The shooting happened outside a home in the 10900...